The Biden administration has recently finalized a new rule for public land management that aims to prioritize conservation alongside oil drilling, grazing, and other extractive industries on vast government-owned properties. Despite facing opposition from private industry and Republican governors, the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management has pushed through the proposal.
The new rule will allow public property to be leased for restoration purposes, similar to how land is leased for oil drilling. It also encourages the designation of more 'areas of critical environmental concern,' which can restrict development on land with historical, cultural, or wildlife conservation significance.
The Bureau of Land Management, which oversees over 380,000 square miles of land primarily in the U.S. West, has historically focused on industry-friendly policies such as selling grazing permits and oil and gas leases. The agency also regulates underground mineral reserves across more than 1 million square miles.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland stated that these changes aim to 'restore balance' in how the U.S. government manages public lands, emphasizing the use of science to guide responsible development and habitat restoration.
While environmentalists have welcomed the new rule, Republican lawmakers and industry representatives have criticized it, alleging that it could hinder mining, energy development, and agriculture on federal lands. Some have argued that the rule violates the 'multiple use' mandate for Interior Department lands.
The adoption of this rule is part of a series of new regulations from the Biden administration, including tighter vehicle emissions standards, limits on PFAS chemicals in drinking water, and increased royalty rates for oil companies drilling on public lands.
Despite the opposition, the administration believes that protecting public lands has broad support among the American people. The new rule introduces 'restoration leases' and 'mitigation leases' to offset damage done by private industry on government-owned properties.
While the bureau has issued conservation leases in limited cases before, this new rule establishes a dedicated program for restoration purposes. Bureau Director Tracy Stone-Manning has highlighted that these changes address the challenges of climate change and development without impeding existing activities like grazing and drilling.
Former President Donald Trump had previously focused on expanding fossil fuel development on bureau lands, but President Biden suspended new oil and gas leasing upon taking office, later reinstating the deals to secure support for climate legislation.
